WizeHive

SUCCESS STORY BACKGROUND

Three years ago, TechCrunch launched their first conference, called TechCrunch20, to showcase the best new technologies of the year. The conference was a big success and has grown over the years into TechCrunch40 and now TechCrunch50.

Along with the growth in the number of finalists has been an explosive growth in the number of applications for the 50 coveted finalist spots. Last year the number of applications was in the thousands. TechCrunch's success has resulted in no small part from the pride and effort they expend in selecting only the best candidates. The best applications are reviewed by multiple people and the finalists are interviewed multiple times before making the final cut.

The problem TechCrunch needed to solve was how to effectively process and qualify thousands of applications each requiring 5 to 10 reviews in 60 days.

THE WIZEHIVE SOLUTION

After a review of the Wizehive Applicant Manager, TechCrunch made a decision to use WizeHive to administer the 2009 TechCrunch50 application process. WizeHive was able to provide a platform where TechCrunch was able to collaboratively accept, manage, rate, and review all of their applications. More specifically, WizeHive provided the following functions to TechCrunch:

• A hosted web based application form where applicants could log in and submit their applications and upload videos, logos and related files.
• A shared review and ratings workspace where each application could be reviewed and rated by remote reviewers and when appropriate moved to the next level based on those reviews.
• A directory structure to manage and store applications based on the round they were in and other criteria
• A scheduling system to manage the process of inviting applicants for interviews and providing the applicants with a screen to select from the available interview slots

THE RESULTS

The 2009 TechCrunch50 review process was a resounding success, finishing on time with an excellent list of finalists. Heather Harde, CEO of TechCrunch indicated that "WizeHive really made a difference for us this year. Our ability to easily collect ratings, make notes, and work collaboratively was fantastic. It saved us a huge amount of time in reviewing and organization the applications."

Added Mike Levinson, CEO of WizeHive: "The TC50 review process by the folks at TechCrunch is one of the most intense in the industry. They spend a great deal of effort reviewing applications, talking to candidates, and otherwise making sure they find the best of the best. We were excited to see how much WizeHive was able to help them organize and manage their process."